Cold Water
by stavie93
Summary: James and Juliet's first declarations of love don't come out as planned. Suliet one-shot. Dharma times.


**Author's Note:** This is a Suliet one-shot. It just hit me the other day so it's not the story I had originally planned. Which means I still have another one up my sleeve!

This story was inspired by Major Lazer and Justin Bieber's _Cold Water_ which is also where the title comes from. Some parts of the song just seem so fitting for these two to me!

Please read and review!

 _"So take a deep breath and let it go. You shouldn't be drowning on your own. And if you feel you're sinking, I will jump right over into cold, cold water for you. And although time may take us into different places I will still be patient with you. And I hope you know I won't let go. I'll be your lifeline tonight." -Cold Water_

 **Cold Water**

They had been living amongst the hippies in the Dharma Initiative for over a year now. James was the newly minted head of security with Miles and Jin under his charge. Dan had left for Ann Arbor only a couple months after they landed in the 70s and Juliet made a pretty good mechanic. No one would have guessed that she had more research and degrees under her belt than most of the Dharma members put together and she liked it that way.

It took eight months for Juliet and James to get together. Their relationship followed a natural progression. They started out in Dharma as no longer enemies, but not yet friends either. They quickly became roommates for the sole reason that Miles snored and Jin was the only one who could stand it. They ended up in the same house Juliet had…or will have. She found it familiar and comforting so after a while he did, too. They spent a lot of time together reading, talking, and sometimes just sitting in companionable silence. Over time they shared likes and dislikes, interests and memories, and eventually secrets and fears.

Everything culminated at one of Horace's famed barbecues. The man would throw a party for anything, but something about that one was different. Maybe it was the booze or the full moon, neither Juliet nor James were ever really sure what led up to it, but they shared their first kiss that night. A week later when they shared their first sober kiss outside the confines of their little yellow house, solidifying themselves as a couple, no one was surprised. No one except for James and Juliet who never once imagined _them_ ever happening. It wasn't long before James officially moved into Juliet's room.

They all soon fell into a domesticated routine that no one thought would be possible on the island, let alone thirty years in the past. Every morning James, Juliet, Miles, and Jin put on their jumpsuits and headed for work. Every Friday night the four time travelers convened in Juliet and James' house. They ate, laughed, and enjoyed the opportunity to let loose and talk freely without worrying about letting it slip that none of them had actually been born in time to see the moon landing or the Kennedy assassination.

Despite the circumstances they were happy. Juliet still longed to see her sister and meet her nephew, but things were easier with James by her side. Jin missed Sun terribly, but he took comfort in knowing she was out there somewhere away from the island, alive, safe, and in the company of their child. The hope to see her again kept him going day after day. Miles often complained about their lack of technology. He missed TV, the internet, and video games, but he'd found something on the island he'd never had before – friends. He hoped to return to the 21st century, but all in all Dharma life wasn't too bad.

James was a different story. Sure, he thought it might be nice to get back to their own time and off the island and he definitely wanted to do it before the purge happened, but he was perfectly happy to stay in Dharmaville for a while. He had made something of himself. Yes, he was still running a con, but this time it was out of necessity, not want. He found his first real job and he enjoyed it. He also found his first real relationship and his first real love in Juliet. Every other relationship he had had was part of a con and he thought he'd loved Kate, but he realized now that love was never what it was. Lust maybe, but never love.

Truth be told James was terrified to return home. He wasn't even sure where that was anymore if it wasn't here in Dharma with Juliet. He wondered if they had linked Duckett's murder to him or if one of his cons would catch up to him. He would be more than happy to spend the rest of his days on the island in any time period as long as he had Juliet. He didn't need computers, cell phones, or anything else from the future. But Juliet did. He knew she was happy there with him, but he also saw the faraway look in her eyes every time she thought of Rachel. She missed her sister. He would go back in a heartbeat and risk a prison sentence if that's what it took for her to see Rachel again.

James loved Juliet. He had no doubt about it and he was pretty sure she loved him too, but neither of them had said it yet. James Ford did not scare easily, but saying those three little words aloud terrified him. He'd never said it before and meant it so while he worked up the courage to tell her how he felt he found other ways to show her his feelings. Eventually the timing would be perfect and it would just come out. And then she'd say it, too and everything would be great. He hoped.

"Juliet."

The voice filtered through Juliet's sleep filled brain eventually coming out through the mouth of a polar bear on the dock who had been about to tell her how Miles kept cheating at poker. She was annoyed. And confused. The polar bear's voice didn't sound like James' earlier.

"Come on Juliet."

She felt a hand on her shoulder as the polar bear disappeared along with the rest of her surroundings.

"Jules, it's time to get up." James prodded from his perch on the edge of their bed. He had a hand on her shoulder gently trying to rouse her from sleep.

Juliet groaned and squinted. She had never really been a morning person, though she could fake it if she had to. The room was still dark, but James was already dressed for work. "What time is it?" She asked before burying her head in the pillow.

James smiled. He'd always thought she was cute like this – sleepy and fighting the need to get out of bed. He'd never tell her that though. He'd be too afraid of receiving another taser to the neck. "It's 6:30." He said.

"Then where's the sun?" She whined into the pillow. She didn't have to be anywhere until the sub came in after lunch. She had not ordered an early morning wake-up call and it was entirely too dark outside to be 6:30 already.

"It's out there somewhere." He replied. "There's a storm coming in. Looks like it's gonna be a bad one. And the sub got in early. Horace wants to try to get it unloaded before the storm hits."

Juliet rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. She was awake now, but she wasn't happy about it. "Remind me again why I volunteered to do this today?" She asked.

"Pretty sure you just couldn't pass up the chance to spend the whole day with me." James grinned.

She chuckled and sat up. "Really? I thought it was because you were going to be shorthanded today." She swung her legs over the side of the bed so she was sitting next to him. "This was supposed to be my day off, but you can be pretty convincing when you want to be." She looked up at him and smiled. "I don't think I agreed to getting up early and standing in the rain all morning though."

He took her hands in his before leaning over and kissing her softly. "I'll make it up to ya." He said when they broke apart.

She smiled and gave him another quick kiss. "You can start with coffee."

James got up and headed for the kitchen to pour her a cup. "I'm already on it." He said.

Juliet got up and got dressed. This was a sub they only got once every couple months. It carried no recruits, just crates of supplies that would have to be unloaded, checked off, and put away. Generally, security handled it on their own along with a few others from various departments, but this time half the security team was over on Hydra Island preforming its annual security check.

When she entered the kitchen she found James at the table finishing a bowl of Dharma Flakes. He'd set out a bowl for her along with her coffee. She smiled. She'd never seen this coming, this thing between the two of them, but now that it had happened she couldn't imagine having things any other way. For the first time she was with someone who just _got_ her. James knew everything about her and she knew everything about him. For once it wasn't a relationship where the other person only wanted her for her mind, her body, or just a distraction. She knew James was the real deal. She'd never felt this way about anyone before. He accepted her for who she was and he wanted all of her, not just the parts that made him feel better about himself.

Juliet realized a while back that she didn't just love James, she was _in love_ with him. However, she had yet to vocalize her feelings. Her mother's words were stuck in her head. _"Just because you love someone doesn't mean you're supposed to be together."_ She'd never questioned the statement. She'd grown up thinking she had the perfect parents. Until they'd divorced. Since then, love was something she didn't really believe in. Then James came along.

She was conflicted. She knew how she felt, but so far love had never gone well for herself or anyone she was close to. She was afraid that if she voiced her feelings things would change and not for the better. She figured someday it would just come out and things would be ok. In the meantime she found other ways to show him how she felt.

They left the house together shortly before seven. It was normally bright and warm outside on the island even in the mornings, but today angry clouds filled the sky making everything dark. The wind coming off the ocean made Juliet hug her arms close to her. They'd all gotten so used to the tropical climate that the smallest drop in temperature could make them feel as though they were freezing, but this one was different. It was a cold both Juliet and James could feel seeping into their bones. They both hoped they could get the sub unloaded and packed away quickly.

Horace, Jin, and Miles were already at the dock along with a few others. Everyone crowded around waiting for instructions. Horace spoke up. "I know none of us want to be out here right now. Let's try to get this done as quickly as possible and maybe we can beat the rain." He looked to James, the new security head. "Jim, I want you to stick with me so you can see exactly how this works. I know you haven't been a part of too many of these subs yet." Horace then turned to Juliet. "We appreciate your help, Juliet. How's clipboard duty sound?"

She nodded. "Sounds good."

"Alright let's get started. The rest of you will be moving the crates."

They worked quickly and quietly. Everyone was tired or cold or both and wanted to get done as soon as possible. The crates were taken off the sub and stacked on the dock for Juliet to check off on the clipboard. Then, they were loaded into vans and taken to where they needed to go.

An hour later they were about halfway done. The clouds grew larger and darker. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The wind picked up and whipped Juliet's ponytail around her head. She had to stifle a giggle every time she looked at James. The wind blew his hair around so much she wondered how he could even see.

The waves grew larger, too, and soon they violently slapped against the beach, shaking the dock and the sub. Before they knew it the rain started. Big, fat drops fell from the sky. The wind caused them to fly almost horizontally. Horace paused a moment to wipe the water from his glasses. "We're almost done. Just keep it up and we'll be out of the rain in no time!"

Miles groaned as he handed another crate to Jin to pack into a van. The rain was cold and quickly soaked through the Dharma jumpsuits.

Juliet had five more crates to check off and then she could go home. The waves were getting higher and slapped onto the dock making the wood wet and slippery. James and Horace made their way towards the end of the dock watching Juliet battle with the wind, rain, and ocean spray as it tried to take the papers on her clipboard.

She checked off the last crate and held the clipboard close to her chest in an attempt to keep the paper from getting soaked. She turned when she heard James' and Horace's steps on the dock.

James opened his mouth, but before he could speak he watched as a wave, the biggest one yet, came up well over the side of the dock. Juliet had been standing near the edge. The wave knocked her off balance. The clipboard clattered onto the wood and as she tried to regain her footing she toppled over the side into the cold ocean below.

"Juliet!" James yelled. He and Horace ran down the dock. "Juliet!" He yelled again as he looked over the edge. Juliet surfaced momentarily. She gasped for air and managed one breath before the waves took her under again.

James was jumping over the side of the dock before Horace could tell him to stop. Horace shouted over the thunder to the other men. "Help! Juliet went over!"

Miles and Jin ran down the dock as James surfaced without Juliet. The waves rocked him. He looked around desperately, but saw no sign of her. _Where are you, Blondie?_ He thought. The waves knocked him under again and he opened his eyes against the salty sea water.

He couldn't find the dark blue jumpsuit in the dark water, but he suddenly saw a flash of blonde hair. She wasn't far from him. The violent waves refused to let her surface and she was fading quickly.

He swam to her through the waves, wrapping an arm around her before making his way towards the dock ladder which was only a few yards away.

Miles, Jin, and Horace watched them surface and waited at the top of the ladder. James held onto the rungs with one hand and did his best to lift Juliet with the other. The three men pulled her out of the ocean and onto the dock. James climbed up after her. He was out of breath and soaked in cold ocean water. He crawled to the middle of the deck where the others surrounded Juliet.

"Juliet!" Miles nearly yelled at her. They had her lying in the middle of the dock. She hadn't moved. "She's not breathing." He panicked and James pushed him out of the way.

"Come on, Jules." He said softly. He lowered his ear towards her face and heard nothing. He put his hands together on her chest pushed. He was moving on autopilot. His hair clung to his face and water droplets fell onto Juliet mixing with the rain. He lowered his mouth to hers trying to breath air into her lungs.

James paused and waited. Still nothing. He repeated the process and before he could bring his mouth to hers a second time she coughed violently, water erupted from her lungs and she drew in a ragged breath. He wrapped her in his arms, holding her close. "It's ok. I got ya." He whispered into her hair.

"We need to get you guys out of the rain." Horace said, relieved that they both seemed to be ok. "Make room in the van." He said to Jin and Miles.

Juliet's coughs subsided. She clung to James and buried her head in his shoulder as she caught her breath. "I got ya." He said again as he rubbed a hand along her back.

The wind and rain never let up, but the waves didn't come over the dock again. James felt Juliet shiver and he suddenly realized how cold he was. "You ok?" He asked.

She nodded against him.

"Let's get you home."

Horace helped the two to stand. "Maybe we ought to take you both to the infirmary." His concerned gaze went from Juliet to James and back again.

James hugged her tighter. "That's not necessary. We just need to get out of the storm."

"Alright. I'll drive you home." The three headed down the dock to the waiting van.

Jin and Miles had the vehicle running. James and Juliet climbed into the back and found a seat amongst the crates. "Load the rest of the crates into another van and go home. We'll unload them after the storm passes." Horace told the two other men before getting in the driver's seat.

The inside of the van was warm and dry. James kept an arm around Juliet as she laid her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him. "Thanks for saving me." She said sincerely.

"I got your back remember?" He looked down at her and gave a weak smile. They were both exhausted. He brushed wet hair out of her face. "I love you, Jules."

Juliet stared at him. _Did I hear that right?_

James saw her expression and was confused. It took him a moment to realize what he said. He hadn't intended for it to come out like that. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting it either. She was wide-eyed like a deer caught in the headlights. For a moment he worried about what she would do next, but then she gave a smile. "I love you, too." She said.


End file.
